have plenty of ammunition, and you have to be well - Junior Shooters

Why I Love
Bushmaster AR-15s
By: Terry Bowers
The first time I shot a Bushmaster AR-15 I had
just decided that NRA High Power Service Rifle
competition was what I was going to concentrate on
to improve my skills with the rifle. This was after a
“hurrah” speech from my good friend and former
Army Marksmanship Unit member and team captain,
Don Curtis. Many individuals in our club (Snake
River Sportsmen) in eastern Oregon had purchased
Bushmasters due in some part to the CMP (Civilian
Marksmanship Programs) Bushmaster’s Service Rifle
purchase program, but also because of Bushmaster’s
innovation of the Service Rifle.
My personal quest for accomplishment in Service
Rifle began with a borrowed Bushmaster from the
CMP program. As I was instructed by Don, I realized
that this rifle had some distinct Bushmaster advantages.
The first thing one noticed was the weight of the upper
section of the rifle. A standard AR upper weighs about
four pounds. The Bushmaster weighed in at seven
pounds. The reason for this is that Bushmaster added
a steel sleeve over the barrel. The sleeve is both barrel
nut, forward delta ring attachment point, and sling
attachment point. This served two purposes: one, to
allow for the sling attachment point to be used with
great pressure applied to it; and, secondly, the extra
weight helps stabilize the rifle during aiming.
Also, Bushmaster rifles that are marked DCM
(Director of Civilian Marksmanship) come standard
with a 1:8 twist barrel. For this caliber, a 1:8 twist
proved to be superior to the traditional 1:9 twist to
stabilize the heavier bullets we wanted to shoot,
especially the 77-grain and 80-grain bullets typically
shot at 300 and 600 yards.
Bushmaster DCM rifles have two-stage triggers
that are higher quality than a standard trigger. I used
the original trigger until replacing it with a Jewel
trigger. Aftermarket triggers are an advantage because
DCM rules require minimum weight of four-and-ahalf
pounds to be picked up. With these aftermarket
designs, a large portion of the felt weight can be in
the first stage making the second stage lighter. This is
an advantage for those who have trained on a lighter
trigger. This is not so for everyone. So far, I don’t
know if anyone has figured out how to do this with
a standard trigger. That is why some shooters replace
the originals. Let me emphasize the point that any
trigger that is safe and consistent can be learned and
is okay. The key is consistency and your commitment
to learning the trigger’s feel. If your trigger is safe and
consistent, weight is not as great of a concern as some
make it. I have seen guardsmen I have trained who
insisted on using the heavy triggers in their issue rifles
because they wanted to have the same feel they would
experience in combat. Many competitors might look at
54 www.juniorshooters.net
this idea as a disadvantage. My experience tells me that
consistency and commitment are far more important.
And never compromise safety. Not for anything.
As my skills increased, I decided to become an NRAcertified
rifle instructor and USA-certified coach. I
have had the pleasure of coaching adults in the sport,
guardsmen preparing to deploy, and, most of all, my
greatest joy has been coaching youth. Here, also,
Bushmaster has been in the forefront of innovation.
Bushmaster has had a junior shooters DCM-XR
rifle program for a very long time and still offers it.
The coupon allows qualified juniors to purchase a
Bushmaster DCM rifle for $800. The suggested retail
price of this great rifle is $1,150. What a great program!
Many of the juniors I have coached have benefited
from this program. The great thing is that this isn’t a
beginner’s rifle or something. This rifle out of the box
has consistently been the best DCM rifle I have used,
only because of the aforementioned attributes; but
Bushmaster’s barrels are the highest quality. One has
only to visit the Bushmaster site to see that they are
committed to competition shooting and in particular
helping juniors. That is why I have from the beginning
and continue to support and promote Bushmaster as